Please join us Saturday October 20th from 6-10pm for the opening of Peter Ivancovich’s first solo show “Natural/Wonder” at Fabrik Projects in Culver City. Ivancovich’s 20-year career in Landscape Design informs his interest in the contrasting beauty/ephemerality of the floral world. His experiences as a gay man in contemporary Los Angeles and his unique color sense inform his work and graphic sensibility.

Ivancovich’s photographic series “Natural /Wonder” is inspired by 17th Century Dutch still life paintings created by master’s such as Balthazar Van der Ast and Jacob Vosmaer. Ivancovich updates the backgrounds, color palettes and contexts to reflect the heightened sexuality of modern life while retaining the original works connection to the fleetingness of existence and the excess of conspicuous consumption.

Through the use of fresh cut and faux flowers, real insects, butterflies and colorful “natural death” taxidermy birds, Ivancovich creates his own sensual world. The glamour of fashion, frisson of sexuality and joy of obsessive collecting are represented in a cabinet of curiosities fit for modern times. As in the original inspiration paintings, items depicted can be seen to represent different things. For instance, fallen flower petals might symbolize decay and snakes and spiders the danger inherent in life. Ivancovich talks about his work, “I think that beauty and creativity can be stimulated by pain. I lost my Mother this year and am living with a chronic illness. My reaction to this was to create something beautiful yet ephemeral. My photos are a moment in time.”

The large scale and bright colors of his work are meant to capture the viewers’ attention and encourage them to look closer to see smaller details hidden within. Ivancovich creates a sense of magic realism by using real objects along with digital manipulation to play with size and color.

About Peter Ivancovich
Peter Ivancovich was born in Hanford California in 1961. He graduated from Fresno State University with a major in Liberal Studies. Since 1997, he has been a Landscape Designer working in the Los Angeles area. After some fashion photography work in the 1990’s Mr. Ivancovich has returned to the medium with new passion and inspiration to create the Natural/Wonder series of digital photographs representing the merging of nature and artifice.

About Fabrik Projects Gallery
Fabrik champions new ideas in contemporary art by providing a platform to nurture emerging and mid-career artists, enabling them to take risks.